Chapter 5: Avoiding the Male Lead (Fails)

Shen Yu made a decision—he needed to stay away from Lu Zhixuan. If he kept messing up the plot, he might trigger something disastrous. Maybe even an ending worse than his original fate.

So, he took drastic measures.

He switched his seat in class, positioning himself as far away as possible—right in the corner by the window, the classic protagonist spot. He started avoiding the cafeteria when he knew Lu Zhixuan would be there, opting to eat lunch in empty classrooms or behind the school. If he saw the male lead in the hallway, he would duck behind a locker or pretend to tie his shoelace for an unreasonably long time.

And yet, it didn't work.

No matter what Shen Yu did, Lu Zhixuan always found him.

On Monday, Shen Yu slipped into the library, thinking he had found the perfect hiding place. He sat down, opened a book, and pretended to be deeply engrossed in it. He was even ready to fake studying if necessary.

Then, a shadow loomed over him.

"You don't even have the book right-side up," a familiar voice drawled.

Shen Yu snapped the book shut and nearly fell out of his chair. "W-What are you doing here?!"

Lu Zhixuan slid into the seat across from him, looking completely at ease. "I could ask you the same thing."

"I'm... studying." Shen Yu cleared his throat and opened the book again—right-side up this time.

Lu Zhixuan leaned forward, resting his chin on one hand. "Interesting. Because this is a physics book."

"...So?"

"You failed physics last semester."

Shen Yu clamped his mouth shut. Right. Zhao Rui was not a model student. He slowly closed the book again.

Lu Zhixuan smirked. "Are you avoiding me?"

"N-No!" Shen Yu's voice cracked. "I've just been... busy."

"With what? Failing physics again?"

Shen Yu groaned and dropped his head onto the table.

On Wednesday, Shen Yu tried escaping through the side entrance after school, certain that Lu Zhixuan wouldn't expect it.

He was wrong.

The moment he stepped outside, he nearly collided with Lu Zhixuan, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed, as if he had been waiting there the entire time.

"Running away from me?" Lu Zhixuan asked lazily.

"N-No! Just taking a different route home," Shen Yu blurted, gripping his backpack straps like a lifeline.

Lu Zhixuan tilted his head. "Huh. That's funny, because it looks like you've been avoiding me."

"I-I haven't!" Shen Yu forced out a laugh. "You're imagining things."

"Oh?" Lu Zhixuan raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you dive behind a trash can when I walked by earlier?"

Shen Yu winced. Caught.

Lu Zhixuan chuckled, his smirk deepening. "You're really bad at this, Zhao Rui."

Shen Yu wanted to crawl into a hole. Or better yet, rewrite reality itself. How did villains in novels successfully avoid the male lead?!

"Just... leave me alone," Shen Yu muttered, trying to sidestep him.

But Lu Zhixuan moved too, blocking his path effortlessly. "Why?"

"Because!" Shen Yu flailed his arms. "The more we interact, the more things go off track! And if things go off track, who knows what will happen?! Maybe I'll die even earlier than in the original story!"

Lu Zhixuan blinked. "What are you talking about?"

Shen Yu paled. Crap, I said too much.

"...Nothing! I meant, um, fate! Yes, fate is unpredictable, and we should respect it!" Shen Yu clasped his hands together as if that would make the excuse sound more convincing.

Lu Zhixuan's gaze flickered with something unreadable. Then, slowly, he leaned in, lowering his voice to a whisper. "You really think staying away from me will change anything?"

Shen Yu gulped. "Yes?"

Lu Zhixuan smiled—a slow, knowing smile that sent shivers down Shen Yu's spine. "We'll see about that."

And with that, he walked away, leaving Shen Yu standing there, frozen, heart pounding, and utterly doomed.